secretary of state struck me with very great force. the result was that i put the draft of the proclamation aside, waiting for a victory. [ gunfire ] [ men whooping ] on the heels of a crushing defeat at the second battle of bull run, abraham lincoln realizes that if he issues a proclamation now it would appear as a desperate measure of an embattled union. he would also risk losing the key border state of maryland still divided on the issue of slavery. now, frederick douglass only sees the president s inaction as an insult to abolitionists, and is publicly critical. however, what douglass doesn t know is lincoln is just one step away from issuing a proclamation that will change the course of history.
now he plans to take the fight north to enemy soil and deliver a final blow that could end the war and any hope of emancipation. [ distant gunfire ] two u.s. army soldiers find a copy of robert e. lee s special order 191. it s wrapped around three cigars, and it details the fact that lee had divided his force. what this indicated is that the two forces could be separately isolated and then overpowered if mcclellan acted quickly enough. change of plans. mcclellan now holds key battle plans that can ensure his army s success and personal redemption. it s a victory that would allow lincoln to redefine the war, giving soldiers like robert gould shaw a reason to
free the slaves. in fact, it only applies to slaves in states choosing to persist in the rebellion and slaves in border states like maryland or missouri remain enslaved. with this bold war measure, lincoln gives the south an ultimatum. if they don t lay down their arms and rejoin the union in three months, their slaves will be free. but the rebels would rather keep fighting than give in to the president. son, the president may be slow, but he is sure. once he stakes his claim he won t retreat from it. yes, father. the south can no longer pretend to be fighting for anything but the preservation of slavery. but with many northerners refusing to fight for abolition, emancipation promises to either end the war or the union.
now, emboldened by a union victory, abraham lincoln has a clear path to emancipate southern slaves and change the course of the war. well, i suppose now is the time. mr. president, is anything the matter? i m afraid my arm is almost paralyzed. [ sighs ] when abraham lincoln finally sits down to sign the emancipation proclamation, his hand is trembling so much so that he hesitates multiple times. those watching believe he may not have the strength of will to go through with it. that s not the case. lincoln had spent the day at his new year s reception, shaking hundreds of his supporters hands. he was just tired.
lincoln to change his mind. word is leaked that the president is going to make a big announcement about emancipation. but frederick douglass isn t sure of that. he continues to doubt lincoln s resolve for the cause. mr. president is anything the matter? i just need a moment. the emancipation proclamation is the result of a nearly two-year-long battle to define what the civil war means to the soldiers in uniform to over 3 million enslaved african-americans, and to lincoln himself. when lincoln takes office, he tries to prevent the looming civil war by reaffirming his belief in the south s constitutional right